Need to Know
by Dreamers' World
Summary: Iruka's in love with Kakashi and now that Kakashi's injured, he's supposed to look after him. Kakashi's unhappy with this and if it's not because of a dislike for the chunin, what is the reason? will be KakaIru
1. Arrangements

Okay, so while this chapter is by no means 'long', it is a lot longer than i was originally anticipating. Hope you enjoy it anyways!

Disclaimer: Don't own 'Naruto', its characters or their personalities. I do, however, own the 'young girl' at the end of the chapter.

WARNING: This story is **YAOI **(MxM)... don't like, don't read and don't complain. You were warned.

_thinking_ "dialogue"

**Need to Know**

Chapter 1: Arrangements

"You look a little tired Tsunade-sama." Iruka pointed out to the Hokage as she left a hospital room.

"That's good since I actually feel quite exhausted." She shook her head back and forth slowly with a smirk.

"Why? Is something wrong? Anything I can do?" Iruka sincerely offered.

"It's just that I've spent the last three hours healing Kakashi. He's in pretty bad shape."

"Kakashi-sensei got hurt? Seriously injured?" Iruka questioned disbelievingly.

"It's hard to believe… If I wasn't so happy he survived at all, I'd probably kill him right about now."

"Is he going to be all right?"

"Oh he'll be just fine, especially with how stubborn he is. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do with him."

Iruka was confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, over the last few years, Kakashi has absolutely refused to spend more than a day in the hospital with indifference towards the reason that he's there in the first place. However, since he lives alone, he can't go home right now either. It's gonna be difficult for him to move around and just forget protecting himself. I guess I'll have to assign it as a mission… Lord knows how happy he's gonna be about this…"

"Let me do it!" Iruka blurted.

"What was that, Iruka-san?"

_Too late now…_ "I'll look after him. Not as a mission. It's just that I'm available and competent enough to look after some one that's injured."

"You are good at looking after others… suppose that's from your teaching position? However, Kakashi has a lot of serious enemies."

"I'm stronger than you assume! Please? Lacking Kakashi is a big enough of a loss, you don't need another ninja detracted from mission duty. I can do this." Iruka insisted.

"True enough. And you are certainly powerful… All right, I'll make sure that he's well enough and then you can transport him back to your apartment."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Just as she was about to open the door, Iruka asked, "But wouldn't he be more comfortable at his own place?"

"It probably wouldn't be very clean. Or safe." Tsunade added the last part as an afterthought. She then disappeared into the room as Iruka waited outside.

"You can come in now." Tsunade announced as she stood in the doorway.

Iruka took a deep breath before following her back into the room. He gazed down at the bruised and bandaged man lying before him on the bed as Tsunade said, "You can take him home now. You will need to be gentle, as I'm sure you are aware of without my saying so."

"Are you sure?" Iruka's doubt noticeable in his tone.

"Yes, quite." At Tsunade's response, they both heard someone causing a loud disturbance in the hallway.

"You get going and I'll go look into this matter." And with that, Tsunade was gone.

Iruka just barely brushed his right hand along the side of Kakashi's face as he thought, _What happened to you…?_

He quickly retracted his hand and gently picked the unconscious Jounin up and transported them back to his place as he mentally noted that the 'disturbance' hadn't dissipated since Tsunade had left.

**KIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKI**

Out in the hall, "Can I help you with something?" Tsunade asked the young girl with a smile in place.

"Only if you can tell me where Kakashi is."

"Kakashi? Are you talking about Kakashi Hatake?"

"Yeah, where is he?" The girl responded as if it was the most obvious answer.

"I cannot disclose such information. Especially not to some disrespectful brat that I don't even know."

_Disrespectful…?_ "Listen here, I just wanna know if he's breathing or not! Is he okay? Will he be okay? Can I see him?"

"Do you have any idea as to who it is with which you are speaking?"

"I'm not an idiot! I know you're the Hokage." Tsunade was taken aback by this response. "Right now, finding Kakashi is more important to me than that." The girl seemed to think it over for a minute before coming to a decision. "Forget this place! I'll find him on my own." She declared before abruptly leaving.

_Who is that girl? I should probably warn Iruka._

**KIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKI**

Sooo... is she friend or is she foe? Can Iruka handle her either way?

Sorry if Tsunade was too OOC for you... I've never actually seen her character (not in the anime or manga) but I thought I would try to write her anyways. More than likely, she'll only be mentioned throughout the rest of the story however.

Read and Review! Please? I can be just as insistent as Iruka!


	2. Get Used to It!

The Last Kitten: Thank you for being my first (and only) reviewer for this story! I hope I managed to keep your interest with this chapter!

Disclaimer: see Chapter 1

_thinking _"dialogue"

Okay, so here's chapter two!

**Need to Know**

Chapter 2: Get Used to It!

Thirty minutes later…

Tsunade had just left and Iruka was worried about the unknown girl even though the Hokage had tried to convince him that she had no reason to look at Iruka's apartment.

Kakashi's eyes fluttered several times before he began to slowly open them. _Where am I…?_ He wondered as he noticed that his hitai-ate had been removed but, thankfully, his mask was still in place.

"Kakashi-sensei! Are you feeling okay?" _Should he really be waking up this soon…?_

_Iruka-san…?_ "Where am I?" Kakashi asked impatiently as he sat up slightly while wincing in pain.

"You really should lie down. You're in my apartment. I'm going to be looking after you until you're healed."

"Not to be rude, but why you? Were you assigned this as a mission?"

"No! I volunteered myself." Iruka admitted.

"Why? It's not like we're good friends."

"It's just that uh… you do so much for Konoha and you don't seem really close to anyone in particular. I just figured that I could do this for you…" _Please don't let him figure it out…_

"As much as I appreciate your concern and efforts, I must be going now." Kakashi tried to push himself the rest of the way up.

Iruka quickly put his hand onto Kakashi's shoulder to halt his movements. "You are in no condition to be moving around so freely, Kakashi-sensei. You can't protect yourself right now let alone care for yourself therefore I simply cannot let you leave."

"Thank you for your consideration, but I am unable to stay here any longer."

"You can't even move without causing yourself pain. Do you really think that you'll be able to leave without me stopping you and bringing you right back here? We can try this if you insist but I have a lot more energy than you do right now."

_Damn it… he's right and I know it but…_ "How long have I been out?"

_Is he really going to accept this so easily? Is he planning something?_ Iruka had his doubts but answered, "There was the three hours that Tsunade-sama spent healing you and you've been here for a little over a half an hour… why?"

_Then she should be here soon… Should prove to be quite interesting._ "No real reason… just curious."

"You should rest." Iruka recommended, "I'm sure you want to…"

"Kakashi, I've FINALLY found you!" A girl yelled, interrupting Iruka, as she ran through the doorway into the room.

"Quiet as ever, Niea. We didn't even hear you come into the apartment." Kakashi complimented.

_This is the girl Tsunade-sama warned me about? I have no way of knowing for sure but she must be. _"What do you want here?"

Niea ignored the question and asked, "Kakashi, are you okay?"

"Ah, ah, ah, you know you're not allowed to call me that." Kakashi reminded.

She blushed lightly, "Why do you like hearing me call you that so much?"

"Because it reminds me that you care so much about me that it causes even you to slip up." Kakashi answered with a smile.

"Fine! Are you okay, Ashi? Tsunade wouldn't tell me anything!"

"You talked to Tsunade?" Kakashi questioned.

"I-I had to! Besides, it's not like she knows who I am…"

Iruka seemed to snap out of his daze and cut in, "Wait a second! If you are the girl that Tsunade-sama warned me to be on my guard about, than why are you two so friendly?"

"Were you being rude to the Hokage?" Kakashi inferred from Iruka's question that she had, in fact, been rude. She could tell that he had already answered his own question and instead wanted an explanation.

"But you don't understand, Ashi! I was worried about you and she wasn't helping me at all! It wasn't like she was polite to me either!"

"That's not an excuse." Kakashi informed her before turning towards Iruka and offering an explanation of his own, "You needn't worry about Niea, at least not as far as my safety is concerned. She's my daughter."

Iruka and Niea's eyes widened in shock at this simple statement.

"Ashi…!"

"How does the Hokage not know her if this is true?"

"No one knows that there is a Niea Hatake besides myself and now you. We've hidden her existence for her own protection."

_What are you thinking, Ashi?! ARE you thinking? What game are we playing at now…?_

"What took you so long to find me anyways, Niea?" Kakashi changed the subject.

"Well, I left the hospital and went back to gather up some of your things so that they would be ready for you. Then, I called Pakkun and him lead me to you. And now I'm here."

_She can use a summoning jutsu already? Well, she is Kakashi-sensei's daughter so I guess that makes sense._ Iruka walked over to Niea and placed his hand on her shoulder as he said gently, "Even if you are his daughter, Kakashi-sensei needs to stay here with me. It'd be too big of a burden for you to handle all on your own. Besides, it could just create more problems for you two with the Hokage since she's entrusted me with his care."

"I figured as much. That's why I brought his things; they're out in the apartment. I just want him to get better."

"Don't worry; Iru-chan will take good care of me."

Iruka blushed brightly at the pet name and stuttered, "Er, um, yes, yes I will."

_I always worry about you Ashi. You know that though…_ Niea thought as she approached the bed. She placed a light kiss on his mask-covered cheek before saying with a smile, "I'm glad you're still breathing." She paused before instructing, "Now, rest! I want you well. I'm going home now but you tell me if he causes any problems, Iruka-dono."

"Ah, well, I'm sure there won't be too many problems."

"Still… You better be on your best behavior, Ashi! Later." And with that Niea was gone and Iruka and Kakashi were alone again.

**KIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKI**

So is Niea actually Kakashi's daughter? If not, who is she and why did he say that she was?

Review! Please? Or I might have to do one thing I really hate: hold chapters hostage!


	3. Curiosity

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Warning: Kakashi may seem a little OOC to you (not really to me) but if you see it as such than just accept it as the fact that that is how he behaves around his daughter. Warning in Chapter 1 still applies.

Sorry that it's taken so long to update. I was hoping to get a better response (review wise) but I've recently realized that this is my most viewed and most alert-ed story so I'm happy about that.

Thanks to everyone who has taken time to read my story! I hope you enjoyed it. And, I love all of my reviewers:)

_thinking_ "dialogue"

**Need to Know**

Chapter 3: Curiosity

The next day…

Kakashi's first night at his apartment went pretty smoothly, at least as far as Iruka was concerned. He slept most of the time, except for when Iruka woke him to try and get him to eat something. They didn't talk much but he attributed that to the fact that Kakashi was in pain and he (Iruka) had too much information that he needed to process.

Niea answered two questions for Iruka. Why Kakashi didn't stay in the hospital and why he was in such a hurry to leave his apartment even though it was clear that he needed to be cared for.

However, Niea also brought many more questions to light.

_How do you hide a person's birth? Who was her mother? What happened to her mother that has left Kakashi-sensei as her caretaker? How has no one seen her at his apartment? Or in the village? How long has he been taking care of her? Who watches over her when he goes on long missions? Doesn't she get lonely without any friends or human interaction besides Kakashi-sensei?_

And, quite possibly the most important question: _Does this mean that I don't stand a chance with him at all…?_

**KIKIKIKIKIKIKI**

Niea and Kakashi were talking privately while Iruka was tidying up the rest of his apartment.

"How are you feeling, Ashi?"

"Better." He replied simply.

"Like that's saying anything. Are you comfortable?"

He nodded his head. "Iruka's been taking good care of me."

"Ah, I'm so glad that you brought him up. Now I don't have to force the issue. Why'd you lie to him?"

"So, you're not my daughter?" Kakashi questioned.

"No, I'm not, not biologically. Which is exactly what he thinks and hence the lie."

"It's just so much easier than going through and explaining the whole story to him. Would you prefer if I had told him that I found you when you were five?"

"At least that would have been the whole truth."

"And as far as I'm concerned, you are my daughter, whether DNA agrees with me or not. Whether you agree with me or not."

"You know I do agree. I just feel kind of bad for Iruka-dono. Why do you tease him so?" Niea already knew the answer. She just wanted to get him to admit it.

"You know why…" Niea's look told him that he wasn't going to get by without answering the question. So he mumbled.

"What was that, Ashi?"

"I like him." It was just above a whisper but Niea heard all the same.

"You know, you could always try telling him how you feel. Or, even try being nice to him." Niea suggested.

"I'm the scary, masked-face, perverted Jounin. That would only freak him out."

"You're not scary, UNLESS the person is an enemy. You COULD take your mask off in front of him like you do around me. Everybody's perverted, some just hide it better. And, your Jounin status will just help him feel safer."

"Do you realize how contradictory your last statement is?" Kakashi pointed out.

"Okay, so he might, TECHNICALLY, be in more danger but you're also more capable of protecting him. And don't argue with me on this one. You'll lose."

"Why are we even discussing this? He doesn't like me."

Niea looked at him in complete shock. "Are you blind?!?"

"What?" Kakashi was confused by her disbelief.

"Um, hellooo… why do you think he offered to take you in and help you heal?"

"Because I'm not useful to Konoha in this state…?"

"Yeah… sure… that may be what he said but that isn't his only reason. Did you not see the way he blushed when you called him 'Iru-chan' yesterday?"

"Well, that was kind of emasculating…" Kakashi excused.

"Wow… I thought I felt bad for him before…" Niea muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He is so totally head over heels for you and you can't even notice." _Though, I guess he hasn't noticed that you like him either…_

"So, he really does like me?" Kakashi asked hesitantly, almost shyly.

Niea nodded emphatically as she replied, "Yes. Besides the obvious proof, there's the fact that you have an empathetic daughter and she knows. Trust her."

"What if he gets hurt because of me? What if I'm not there to protect him?" Kakashi worried aloud.

"Can I say something?" Kakashi nodded and she continued, "Iruka IS a ninja. There's always a chance that he could get hurt. And you might not even be there for him. However, you can't protect him if you're not together either. You're not to blame for everything that goes wrong. He can take care of himself and you'll just have to trust him to do so."

"What if I don't deserve to be with him? What if I'm not good enou…"

Niea interrupted abruptly, "This may seem unrelated, but just listen. You're not perceived 'scary' as much as you are perceived distant. But, they'd all be mistaken. They have no reason to fear you unless they betray Konoha or friends or are the enemy. And their thinking that you could be distant is about as far from the truth as they could get. You care too much. It makes you seem distant because you're so worried that you'll be hurt. Distant is one thing you'd never be truly good at though. Iruka would be lucky to have you. You'd both be lucky to have each other."

Kakashi sat there and absorbed the information that he'd just received. _Lucky to have each other…? Yeah… that seems… right…_

"Now, no more arguing with me on this. Are you going to tell him that you like him?"

"I-I don't know." Kakashi said.

"Okay, then let me put it to you this way: are you going to tell him or am I?"

"Geez, are you pushy or what?" Niea just glared at him, waiting for an answer. "Okay! I'll tell him, I'll tell him!"

"Are you ACTUALLY going to tell him?" Niea checked.

"Yes, I will tell him." Kakashi confirmed.

"You're not going to chicken out at the last minute?"

"No! I'm a ninja for crying out loud! I can manage telling someone how I feel." At Niea's questioning look, he continued, "I just can't guarantee how soon I'll be bringing it up to him."

"Oh, come on! You have all kinds of time alone with the man. How hard can it be?"

"You can't just blurt it out. It has to be brought up first." Kakashi informed.

"Fine." Niea accepted. "But please, PLEASE, tell him. It's best for everybody that way."

"Which one of us is the kid again?" Kakashi questioned, teasingly.

"I'm not entirely sure. I'm gonna get going. Give you two some privacy." Niea winked at him before standing to leave. First, she walked over to him and pressed her lips against his cheek gently.

"Are you going to be okay? I'm sure Iruka wouldn't mind if you stayed over." Kakashi offered.

"I'll be fine and we both know it. Stop trying to stall. What have you got to fear? You already know that he does reciprocate your feelings!"

"But maybe the reason he hasn't told me is because he's decided that we couldn't work in a relationship."

"His only doubts are how you feel about him." She paused before calling out, "Iruka-dono!"

Out in the living room, Iruka dropped the books that he'd been reorganizing onto the floor as he was startled out of his reverie.

"Iru-chan?" Kakashi asked with the concern evident in his voice.

A few moments later, Iruka appeared in the doorway, "I'm fine, I just dropped my books."

"Okay, um, if you're sure everything's okay, I'm gonna get going. He's all yours. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Leaving so soon? You sure you don't want to stay longer? Spend some more time with your dad?"

"Yeah, I should go. I have Pakkun to keep me entertained, so no worries. Bye Ashi, Iruka-dono! Be good."

"Always. See you tomorrow."

"Be careful." Iruka warned. Kakashi and Niea smiled warmly at the gesture. Niea left and Iruka was just about to ask Kakashi if there was anything that he needed.

However, Kakashi spoke first, "I need to tell you something, Iru-chan."

**KIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKI**

Sorry, I know it's a cliffhanger and that they suck, but chapter four is almost ready to be posted and should be up in a couple of days. Review, please!

Just so everybody knows, I will never go into great detail about Kakashi's injuries because I don't know a lot about injuries (due to the fact that I lack experience and am not going to college to become a medical doctor). And I won't describe the fight scene (besides general descriptions) because I'm just not very good at writing those and would hate to put my fabulous readers through that.


	4. Truths Revealed

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Warning: Those in previous chapters still apply.

Thanks to everyone who has read my story. And an even bigger thanks to anyone who has reviewed it. I hope you enjoyed (and continue to do so) it.

_thinking _"dialogue"

**Need to Know**

**Recap:**

However, Kakashi spoke first, "I need to tell you something, Iru-chan."

**Chapter 4: Truths Revealed**

"Okay, um, what do you need to tell me?" Iruka was slightly startled by the sudden confession.

"Niea isn't my daughter. And she is the reason that I was attacked."

"What? What do you mean? Why would you lie about that?" Iruka was so very confused.

"Just listen to me for a minute, please?" Iruka nodded his head. He didn't really have much of choice though, not with that look in Kakashi's eye. "She isn't my biological daughter. I took her in when she was five and I've treated her as such since then though."

"Why you? Why did you need to take her in? What happened to her mother? Her father?"

"Her mother was terrified of her. She left about six months before Niea's fifth birthday. Niea's empathetic and she has a bloodline limit and her mother couldn't handle it. Her father was killed about a week before I found her, on her fifth birthday. He loved her unconditionally."

Iruka was saddened to hear the tale so far and deeply curious. "What happened?"

"When her mother left, she went back to her own village. They all feared Niea and came up with a plan to kill her and it was to be executed on her fifth birthday. Her father hid her away where she wouldn't be found. He and the rest of her village then protected Niea with their lives. When I stumbled across her a week later, she immediately clung to me. I was a goner. I had never felt so protective of one other person in my entire life. I had no choice but to bring her back and care for her."

"And nobody knows because that would put her in danger?" Iruka asked. Kakashi nodded. "But why is she the cause of you being attacked?"

"I haven't told her this but her mother's village recently discovered that she is still alive. They think that she's in Konoha and assumed that I would know something about her being here then. They think that the Hokage and the rest of the village are protecting her."

"So, they obviously don't know very much." Iruka stated.

"No, they don't. They assumed that she would die of starvation nine years ago when they left her. And they were perfectly fine with it." Kakashi's anger was palpable. Iruka understood why but he couldn't seem to understand the reasoning behind their fear. _What could have them so afraid that they don't care if a child starves to death? That people could do that just makes me sick!_

"So… why haven't you told her yet?"

"It would only hurt her. Knowing that her mother still hates and fears her? That would be more than enough pain, but knowing that she was the reason I was injured? I'm not sure that she could handle that."

"But isn't the fact that you are hiding it going to make her think that she should feel bad about it?"

Kakashi smiled to himself, "We never talk about missions until I'm recovered. She's too busy worrying about me and I just don't bring it up. It'll give me a chance to reassure her that everything is okay, that I'm okay. She won't have to feel so bad about it."

Iruka smiled now. _A whole new side to love…_ "You seem to take excellent care of her."

Kakashi blushed slightly, though, thankfully, it was hidden by his mask. "I don't know if I'd say that. Sometimes, I'm not sure which one of us is taking care of the other."

"Well, if she's capable of taking care of you that's just proof of how well you've raised her." Iruka argued.

"She's a good kid."

"So, what is it about her that would make Konoha WANT to protect her? Why do they think that we'd all hide her?"

"Niea's abilities would make her a huge asset to any village; she is the ultimate fighting weapon. They just found reason to believe that we are the village that took her in."

"Is that why you took her in? To train her and turn her into 'the ultimate fighting weapon'?"

Kakashi was surprised, "No! I wouldn't do it to her then and I couldn't do it to her now, nor would I want to. Besides, she wouldn't even need any training. There's a reason that no one knows she's here excluding us two. The truth is, when I found her, I probably needed her as much as she needed me and possibly even more."

"You needed her as well?" Iruka questioned, surprised and a little pleased.

"Yeah…she made me feel needed. I was the only one that could care for her. I was the only one that could be there for her. And sure, almost anyone could have been her 'one' but it didn't seem that way to me."

"It doesn't matter what anyone COULD have done. All that really matters it what you DID do." Iruka pointed out.

"I guess you're right. And I wouldn't want to change any of it."

Iruka was touched, and he so enjoyed getting to see this whole new side of Kakashi. It made it seem even more right that he loved the other ninja. "Oh, and don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

Kakashi looked shocked for a moment before admitting, "I never thought it wasn't." Iruka blushed slightly.

"Why not?" The question was out before Iruka could even think about it. If he had actually thought about it, he would have never let it slip.

"Because I trust you. If I didn't, do you honestly think I would tell you something so important about my daughter?"

"No, no you wouldn't do something like that. You are a genius after all."

Kakashi laughed slightly before wincing in pain. Iruka was at his side in an instant before assisting him to lie back down in the bed.

"You should rest." He pulled the blanket up to the other man's elbows before walking to the doorway and continuing, "I'll go out and find us something for dinner."

**KIKIKIKIKIKIKI**

As Iruka walked through the streets of Konoha, he felt a pair of eyes watching him. He glanced around and noticed a young girl hiding in the trees. When their eyes caught, they nodded to each other and she left, seen by no one but Iruka. He then followed her subtly so that none would notice.

Iruka found himself in a hallway of an apartment building with the door at the end left slightly ajar. He cautiously entered, his eyes glancing around the entire time.

When he spotted the young girl in front of him again, he greeted, "Hello Niea."

"Hey Iruka-dono." She sounded almost shy.

"So this is Kakashi-sensei and your home? It's nice. Cleaner than I was told to expect." Iruka commented.

"I clean. I have time to clean. Somebody has to take care of him. He always seems to be last on his own list of priorities."

"He mentioned that you take very good care of him. And I'm starting to figure that second part out."

"You're rather observant then. He does hide it fairly well."

"I'm supposed to be observant. So, what were you doing in the trees?"

She shrugged, "I like to watch. Nobody ever knows I'm there. Ever. You're not gonna tell Ashi, are you? He'd be so angry with me!"

Iruka laughed, "No, don't worry. He won't learn about it from me. I had a rather interesting conversation with your father after you left."

Niea instantly perked up, "Really? About what?"

"About you actually."

She was disappointed, but didn't let it show. She seemed slightly awkward as she spoke, "About me? So, you know he's not really my father then?"

Iruka shook his head, "I know nothing of the sort. I know there's no biology between you two. I also know more about your story."

Niea took in a couple of deep breaths before asking, "So, if you know what I am, why are you here with me?"

"I know that you're a special but lonely young girl…" Iruka stressed the word 'girl' before trailing off. "I'm here because I wanted to talk to you."

She tilted her head to the side and asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Not particularly."

"You know that I'm the, as Ashi puts it, 'Ultimate Fighting Weapon' and you're still not afraid of me? Why?"

"You're special to Kakashi-sensei. You don't achieve that by being just anyone, you have to pretty special yourself."

"Just because I'm 'special', doesn't mean I can't hurt you." Niea argued.

"I have no doubt about you being more than capable of hurting me. However, I'm just as sure that you wouldn't. Kakashi isn't the type to hold dear those who participate in random violence." Iruka finished his sentence before realizing his mistake.

Niea smiled slowly, "There's something about him that's rather endearing, isn't there? First, the honorific gets dropped. Subconsciously in the beginning. And, before you know it, you're shortening his name. And once he hears it, and he'll ALWAYS notice the first time, you'll never live it down. You'll have to call him that for the rest of your life."

"That's why you call him 'Ashi'? You," Iruka paused, unsure of which term to use, "slipped up?"

"Yeah… I was worried about him and it just kinda, came out. He'll completely ignore me if I try to call him anything else. As far as he's concerned, 'Kakashi' is dead to me."

"Why 'Ashi'? I always thought that if he were to shorten his name it would probably be 'Kashi'?"

"Ah… well, that would be because 'Kashi' is much too harsh for him. 'Ashi' is much, much gentler and, therefore, suits him better. It's all in the 'K'."

Iruka smiled at the thought of a jonin and the word 'gentle' being associated, but, nevertheless, had to admit that it was true. "When you think of it that way, you really do have a point."

"You'll be calling him 'Ashi' before too long." Niea said with a nod and a proud smile.

It was at this point that Iruka recalled something that Kakashi had only briefly mentioned. He paled slightly with just the thought. He gulped, "You're an empath, aren't you?"

Niea's face fell as she nodded her response. "You are afraid of me…"

"No! No, it's not that… It's just, I never meant for him to know. I didn't want to burden him." Iruka explained.

"You love him. And love is all about the other person's happiness. But you're assuming something there. You're assuming that I would tell him." _Not a lie… I just can't tell the whole truth. I promised Ashi I wouldn't… but this is gonna be hard!_

"Well, I-I just thought since you're so close that you would tell him."

"I like you Iruka-dono. You're taking care of him when he can't take care of himself and when I can't be there for him either. That's not gonna be something I just forget or ignore."

"Thank you. I enjoy being able to be there for him, with him." Iruka, curious now, asked, "What's it like?"

"Being an empath? It's not that different from your own experience of emotions except you get this background from the person along with the emotion. I didn't get my empathy until I was four. Young children can't handle it. They're too self-absorbed. So, when it first kicked in, intense emotions or too many emotions would cause me to collapse. It was like a tidal wave. But, you learn to adapt, focus and control."

"Wouldn't your 'watching' be hard on you then?"

"Not really. Large groups are easier for me because I can switch my focus. One on one is more difficult in my opinion because I have nothing to detract from their intensity."

"Oh, should I leave then?" Iruka was flustered by the information.

"No, no. I didn't mean it like that. You have this calmness to you, even when you're anxious… It's nice. Relaxing."

Iruka blushed, unsure of how to take the comment, "Thank you but I probably should be going. I shouldn't have left Kakashi for so long anyway." Iruka sighed in disappointment of himself at his repeated mistake.

"I told you! You won't even realize it. He'll notice long before you ever do."

"I'll just have to be more careful from now on." Iruka left and Niea shut and locked the door behind him.

**KIKIKIKIKIKIKI**

Sorry that this took so long! I got busy with college and I just kind of forgot to post it. It is considerably longer though if that helps any...

This is KakaIru. There is no triangle involving Niea.

Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated!


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